Castles of Steel - Lesbians Good, Imperialism Bad

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Lieutenant Arisukawa Haruna

Balance Stats
❁ • ❁ Work / Life ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Warrior / Princess ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Radical / Respectable ❁ • ❁

Tactical Stats
Gunnery 0, Navigation +2, Command +2, Technology -4, Personal -2, Strategy +3

Stress: 3​


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PLEASE READ THE QUEST RULES BELOW

You collectively vote on the actions of Arisukawa Haruna, the first woman to serve openly in the Imperial Akitsukuni Navy.

This quest is set in a universe which is much like our own circa 1910, but with different politics, cultural norms, and ideas about gender and sexuality, as well as some unusual and advanced technology in places.

We are using this quest to explore themes like breaking the glass ceiling, divergent outlooks on gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the place of royalty.

Content Warning
This quest goes some dark places.

There is violence, often explicit, often unfair, often against undeserving targets.

There are not always good options forward. The protagonist is not necessarily a good person.

There is implied content and discussion of sexual harassment and assault.

This is a world where people are often racist, sexist, queerphobic bigots. Sometimes, even the PC and the people they are friends with.

Voting Rules

We will tell you if write-in votes are allowed. If we do not say that write-ins are allowed, they are not. This is to prevent people from unrealistically hedging their bets.

You may proposal other options in a non-vote format, subject to approval, on non write-in votes.

We will tell you when a vote allows approved voting. If we don't say the answer is no, pick an option. We like making people commit.

Discussions makes the GM feel fuzzy.

Game Rules
When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.

Whenever Haruna loses something or faces hardship from a botched roll, she takes Stress. The more Stress Haruna has, the more the job and the circumstances she's in will get to her, and it'll be reflected in the narrative. Haruna must be kept under 10 Stress: if she reaches 10 Stress, she will suffer a breakdown and the results will not be great for her.

Haruna loses stress by taking time for herself, by making meaningful progress on her dreams, and by kissing tall, beautiful women.

Meta Rules
Author commentary is in italics so you know it's not story stuff.

Please don't complain about the system or the fact we have to roll dice. We've heard it before, we've heard it a thousand times across multiple quests. We're not going to change it, and it wears at our fucking souls.

Just going "oh noooo" or "Fish RNGesus Why!" is fun and fine. Complaining at length because you didn't get what you want less so.

If you have a question, tag both @open_sketchbook and @Artificial Girl. If you only tag one of us, you will be ignored. Seriously, we both write this quest.

And yes this is an alt-history type setting with openly gay and trans people, ahistoric medicine, and weird politics. Just... deal, please?

This quest employs a special system called Snippet Votes. Please read this post for more information.
 
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Quick reaction: Boom! Cruiser waiting to get picked off by the rest of our fleet, destroyer down, lost an allied boat. Bloody update, but glad we turned back to save our army compatriots. We may have saved the mission with that.
 
[X] Push the bombs over the sides with something that can be thrown over.
[X] Dampen or dump all munitions or anything that can go up dramatically and terribly thanks to the fires.
[X] Create some sort of safe area/command area and make sure all the crew are alright.
[X] As much/when possible, get out of there. The boat's clearly through with fighting even if you succeed in stopping the fires.
 
5-8: Fight fire with... water.
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    • It was times like this that you most missed Kenshin's old damage control boys. They had been consummate professionals, disciplined, and ready to do whatever it took to keep their ship afloat. Here, you would just have to deal with the crew you had, though. No time to waste wishing for what you couldn't have.

    "Petty Officer Ono, get someone to find a boat hook or something and put that incendiary over the side. NOW! Then organize as many men as you need and go aft. I want that fire out as soon as possible--dump all of our munitions over the side if you have to, but get that fire out!"

    "Aye, aye captain--!" Even as he started to turn towards the sailors on the deck, one of them had grabbed a boat hook from it's rack and was gingerly using the metal tip to prod the rocket towards the edge of the ship. He bellowed at the other sailors.

    "Don't just stand there gawping at it! Aft to fight the fire, hurry!" The group scrambled aft, following after the petty officer in a rush.

    "Ishinari! Organize a casualty collection point forward. I don't know how many injured we have yet and I need to know as soon as possible. Helm, set us a course back towards the convoy--" You rattled off the bearing and gripped the railing of the conning tower. Hard. You felt that if you didn't you might fall over, but you had to stay in the fight. Your boat swung through a patch of fog and then burst into bright sunlight. It was shocking after the confusing fight in between patches of rain and fog, but now you could clearly see the convoy, mostly intact, though smoke was still rising from the deck of at least one of the ships as soldiers and sailors fought a fire. The sound of guns had died off in the distance--maybe the Caspians had run for it?

    As you swung in towards the flank of the convoy, you left the conning tower as the rocket was finally pushed over the edge, bursting into steam and spray as it went over. For the first time you got an idea of the extent of the damage, and it wasn't good: the rocket had landed in the machinery aft of the smokestack, and had since clattered deep into the hull. Men from the engine spaces had rushed out, coughing and sputtering, and sailors were desperately trying to keep the flames from getting into the coal bunkers. The incendiary device itself had burned out, but the fire it had started was threatening to get out of control as the crew desperately fought it with the limited resources you had to hand. Buckets of seawater were no replacement for a good hose.

    This wasn't going to work. You needed help.

    "Helm! Get us alongside the Okinami!" If any vessel had a good damage control crew and plenty of hoses it would be your old ship. Your boat limped across the waves, chugging and wheezing. The acrid smell of smoke and was becoming overwhelming and you had to wrap a wet cloth over your face to keep from coughing your lungs out. Ever since your little brush with pneumonia, they'd not been the same. As you closed in with Okinami you signaled across to them with your semaphore.

    WE ARE ON FIRE. REQUIRE ASSISTANCE.​

    In an instant, there was a reply.

    COME ALONG SIDE AT ONCE.​

    You watched as sailors and soldiers scrambled around up on her decks and a line was hurled down to lash you close to the hull before they started lowering hoses down to you. Vividly, you remembered the first stricken destroyer that you had pulled alongside and the desperate work that had been required to help keep her in workable condition. You glanced up and down the deck as one of the hoses came into reach--no one else was close. Reaching out, you grabbed hold of it and hurried down the deck yourself towards the fire.

    "Stand out of the way--!" You yelled and pulled the lever at the nozzle as sailors scrambled away from you. The force of the water pressure was surprising and you staggered for a moment as you tried to stay upright, then focused the spray at the base of the flames. Kenshin had said something about that once when he was explaining damage control principles. Something, some part of the deck crumbled under the water pressure, and there was a wave of heat and steam that was almost blinding as the water found its way inside. You scarcely had your vision back when a flash took it again, maybe some residual from the incidinary, maybe something inside your boat burning up.

    As another hose dropped down to the deck other sailors grabbed it and dragged down the main hatchway to start fighting the fire in the cramped spaces below decks. You steadied yourself and kept the hose on full blast, though keeping your footing on the pitching, water-slicked deck was difficult--

    A swell rose up and you stumbled, falling back onto your ass and losing your grip on the fire hose. You scrambled to regain your grip but before you could, another sailor had already grabbed it and another man took hold of it behind him. You looked up at them as you started to get to your feet. It was Seaman Tsuda. His face streaked with coal dust and soot and his uniform in tatters at his wrists.

    "D-Don't worry, ma'am. This--officers shouldn't have to handle the hose--" He said with a determined scowl that looked straight out of a melodramatic theater production. He was trying to put on a brave face for you--even if the poor kid had to be terrified. You were back on your feet now, steadying yourself.

    "Carry--carry on Seaman Tsuda," you said. A quiet sort of acknowledgement. You watched the men fight the fire for another few minutes until you were convinced that things were relatively under control, then headed forward on unsteady feet. Clustered around the forward gun were your wounded, your poor pharmacist's mate doing his best to treat those he could. And of course, there were four shapes covered in blankets, boots sticking out from underneath.

    Five or six men were sitting or laying here. One had his arm in a sling, another with the upper half of his face completely swathed in bandages sat next to him calmly smoking a cigarette. Still another had his trouser leg cut away to reveal a horrific, blistered burn that traveled most of the way up his leg. Ishinari was bent over that man, talking to him in a reassuring voice. He looked up as you approached. Blinked.

    "Captain, are you alright?" You waved away his concern.

    "I'm fine--Just exhausted. I think--I think the fires will be under control soon," you said. The adrenaline that had been keeping you active for the past… however long had drained away and you wanted nothing more than to pass out on the deck.

    You fished your watch out of your jacket and flipped it open. It was almost eleven. You wracked your brain a few moments trying to remember what your orders were, to escort in the Army boats, and you looked up the side of the Okinami wearily. There were dozens of faces staring back at you over the rail, had been for who knows how long. A ladder had been thrown over the side of the larger ship and a few men in the uniforms of medical personnel were scrambling down towards the deck. Yes. Good. Your poor man was overworked.

    The next couple of hours turned into a blur as the fire was brought under control and eventually the boat was made safe. She wasn't going to sink or blow up anytime soon, thank the spirits but you had to shut the dampers and you had almost completely lost steam. So you were taken in tow by Okinami. To your surprise, the operation was going to proceed, though now your cruiser and her destroyers were keeping close to the convoy in case the Caspians tried again.

    Without much to do, you oversaw the boat as best you could, then eventually one of the ensigns aboard the Okinami extended an invitation from the captain to come aboard, rather than just waiting pointlessly on your crippled vessel. You gave Ishinari command and stepped up the ladder, conscious now of your appearance. No hat, the hem of your skirt frayed and burnt, both your sleeves missing, you must have looked completely unprofessional, and you felt a moment of anxiety at the thought of having to face your old captain like this, so undignified.

    Nothing to it, though.

    Can we get a Diplomacy roll? Also, snippet votes are open. What does Haruna do around her first ship as the soldiers disembark?​
     
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    • Artificial Girl said:
    You gave Ishinari command and stepped up the ladder, conscious now of your appearance. No hat, the hem of your skirt frayed and burnt, both your sleeves missing, you must have looöked completely unprofessional, and you felt a moment of anxiety at the thought of having to face your old captain like this, so undignified.
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    Oh Haruna, I doubt unprofessional is going to be their first thought.
     
    Karlito said:
    Oh Haruna, I doubt unprofessional is going to be their first thought.
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    Yup. If anything, your legend is going to grow. I mean, just in this operation you took on 2 different Caspian ships that were notably more dangerous than you, crippled or sank both, had your ship lit on fire, gave the correct orders to fight that fire, signaled for and received assistance, and when that assistance showed up and nobody else was around to handle the fire hose, did so personally and correctly.

    And really Haruna, you just rolled really well on a stat you are actually pretty good in. Be ready to break out the dress clothing, you are getting more medals, very likely a promotion, and just all around manage to convince Akitsukuni that there may just be a point to female military personnel.

    May.

    We are after all talking about racist, sexist, early 20th century not-Japan.
     
    Hazard said:
    Yup. If anything, your legend is going to grow. I mean, just in this operation you took on 2 different Caspian ships that were notably more dangerous than you, crippled or sank both, had your ship lit on fire, gave the correct orders to fight that fire, signaled for and received assistance, and when that assistance showed up and nobody else was around to handle the fire hose, did so personally and correctly.

    And really Haruna, you just rolled really well on a stat you are actually pretty good in. Be ready to break out the dress clothing, you are getting more medals, very likely a promotion, and just all around manage to convince Akitsukuni that there may just be a point to female military personnel.

    May.

    We are after all talking about racist, sexist, early 20th century not-Japan.
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    Is this a roll-high or roll-low system? 'cause I'm seeing 2 2s and a 4....
     
    Actually, could we do any shore bombardment in any real capacity or is that a fool's hope?
     
    []Your uniform is trashed and it's not like you fit a second change of clothes on the Kari, but there must be a spare men's uniform in your size somewhere in the fleet
     
    Dang. That was a dramatic interlude.

    [X]Harunah checks in with her old shipmates. How are they? How many are still here?
     
    Night_stalker said:
    With what weapons?
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    We have some sort of small calibre deck gun and a pair of what I think are 1pdr Pom-poms, if the ship wasn't broken we could provide some worthwhile close support fire in the event of an opposed landing. On the other hand, in the event of an opposed landing I'm pretty sure we haven't got the amphibious equipment, training or doctrine to succeed so I expect this landing to be more of a disembarkation.
     
    FrangibleCover said:
    We have some sort of small calibre deck gun and a pair of what I think are 1pdr Pom-poms, if the ship wasn't broken we could provide some worthwhile close support fire in the event of an opposed landing. On the other hand, in the event of an opposed landing I'm pretty sure we haven't got the amphibious equipment, training or doctrine to succeed so I expect this landing to be more of a disembarkation.
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    Which has a short enough range we'd have to walk the damn shells onto shore to use.

    More to the point, what exactly do you plan on using it on? If the coast is even remotely well defended, there's destroyers out there, with way bigger guns.
     
    First ship you say... :V
    [] Ask after the ship cat's health, make sure they're still treated right, find an excuse to go pet them
     
    I imagine we're gonna be spending a while in the office writing letters.
    I hope we at least got something to show for this mess.
     
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